Alphas in the Wild (23 page)

“Illimani! Illampu!” Tina shouted into the howl of the wind. “I left you my blood. Help us.”

T
ina screamed for the mountain gods again. She heard Craig mutter something. He took a few fast steps forward and threw something at Gunter. Her nose twitched. White gas.

“No.” She made a lunge for Craig’s arm, but it was too late. His windproof lighter was already flaring like a blowtorch. He chucked it at Gunter. The German’s body flashed into an inferno. The smell of burning flesh rose, thick and cloying, along with the stench of scorched cloth and plastic.

Laughter, malevolent and fey, filled the air. “I feed on heat. It strengthens me. I should thank you, human. Instead I shall kill you. There is ample fire. Come.”

Craig took a jerky step forward. “No!” Tina shrieked. “What are you doing?”

As if he couldn’t hear, Craig took another step.

She pushed between him and the tower of flame that had been Gunter. “Leave him alone,” she snarled at Mururata. “I’m the one you tricked into that bargain. Wouldn’t surprise me if you shoved me into the crevasse. I’m pretty sure-footed. Never did understand how I stumbled and fell that night.”

Craig dropped heavy hands on her shoulders. He was breathing hard. “Thanks. Don’t know what I was thinking.” He pulled her against his body. “We’re stronger together, and we’re not going down without a hell of a fight.”

“Close your mind to his suggestions,” she muttered. “They’re deadly.”

“No shit.”

The fire advanced toward them. Flames sliced between their bodies. Craig jumped away. “Run, Tina. I’ll try to hold him.”

“Like hell.” She scooped snow and smothered a place where his jacket was smoldering. Wind tugged her. She fought it, but her axes were in the snow next to where Gunter had been. It was all she could do to remain upright.

Craig latched on to her arm. Fire crashed down on his hand. He plunged his glove into the snow before it incinerated. His body arched as if something had hit him.

He rose a few feet in the air, spun, and fell, crashing against the snow.

“What have you done to him?” Tina shrieked. She tried to throw her body over Craig’s. Wind pulled her away. She dropped to her knees, slithered to Craig on her belly, and wrapped her arms around him.

“I grow weary of your games. You promised yourself to me. Must I kill your companion to get you to leave his side?” The fire advanced toward her.

“Leave him alone.”

The wind came alive, whipping around her body. No surprise since Mururata was Lord of Air. Heat from the fire made it hard to hold her ground. She clung to Craig, but flames pushed under her gloves, burning her fingers. She wanted to do something, anything, but how could she fight what she couldn’t get close to?

“I will kill him where he lays, human woman. Leave him now.”

Craig’s body writhed and bucked beneath hers. A moan tore from him. She crawled backward. This was her fight, not his. Maybe Mururata would spare him if she played her cards right. “All right,” she gritted. “Let him go. I’m the one who was deranged enough to fall for your bargain.”

Tina staggered to her feet. Her mind churned, and the metallic taste of fear flooded her mouth. There had to be something she could do. Mururata beckoned with a burning arm. Wind gathered behind her. It shoved her hard. She took a step forward because she had no choice. Heat seared her. “If you burn me, I’ll die.”

“You have my blood. You will never die. You must be punished for your hostility toward me. I am your master. It would amuse me if you were to suffer endlessly.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Tina.” Craig’s voice was gravelly. “Run, goddammit.”

“Not without you.”

“How touching,” Mururata snarled. Flames zipped past her. Craig’s jacket caught fire. He rolled in the snow.

Got to get him away from Craig.

Breath clotted in her throat. She grabbed one of Craig’s axes and backed away, fighting against the wind. At least she had a weapon now.

The air shimmered and grew brighter. The glare intensified and separated into two figures. Like Mururata seven years before, they were impossibly tall and draped in luminous robes that shaded through a rainbow of colors. One had blond hair hanging loose to his waist. The other’s was dark. Their eyes were whirling pools of golden light. High cheekbones and sharp noses blended into the most arresting faces she’d ever seen.

Tina wrenched her gaze from Mururata and stared. “Illimani and Illampu?” She bowed her head in a sign of respect.

They ignored her. Both were focused on Mururata. One raised an arm and barked a command. A third figure rose from Gunter’s burning body. Without the god to animate him, the German’s form crashed into the snow and howled piteously.

Good god. How could he still be alive? Tina stared in horror at the burning body. She screamed at Gunter to roll in the snow. Either he didn’t understand or he was beyond being able to help himself.

Craig groaned, rolled over, and staggered to his feet. “Nothing you can do for him,” he croaked. “White gas and nylon is a lethal combination.”

The god who’d raised his arm shifted his attention. Tina felt it as a command deep in her mind. She gazed at the pulsating light and shielded her eyes. “Illimani?”

“Nay. I am Illampu. Mururata told us you wished to become his queen.”

“Never. He tricked me.”

“She was willing to accept my help when her life hung in the balance,” Mururata growled. His voice was tinny. He sounded different than Illampu. “All assistance comes with a price.”

“Is it true you welcomed his aid?” Illampu asked.

Tina squared her shoulders, grateful Illampu was using English. It was accented and archaic, but at least she could understand him. She considered what to say. Not much point in lying. As impossible as it seemed, these were gods. “Yes, I accepted his help. I was even grateful for it. I was trapped in a crevasse. Would have died there if he hadn’t interceded. I agreed to his terms because—”

A piteous cry rose from Gunter. “Please.” Tina held out both hands. “Could you put out the fire? He’s suffering.”

Illimani shifted slightly from his stance near Illampu. Snow gathered itself from the mountainside and crashed atop Gunter. Tina raced to his side. Craig followed. Together, they pulled the German’s smoking body out from under a foot of powdery snow. He moaned. His eyes flickered open, their normal dark brown again.

“Please.” His gaze sought hers. “Hurts,” he moaned.

She grappled with her pack, got a syringe, and filled it with morphine. “Craig. Can you cut through what’s left of his jacket and the clothing beneath so I can find a vein?” Tina held the syringe in her mouth and stripped off her gloves.

“Yeah. I’m not hurt. More dazed than anything.” Craig dug for a pocket knife. Charred bits scattered when he cut the burned fabric away. Some of it had bonded with Gunter’s skin. “Good enough?” He glanced at her.

She jimmied what was left of the sleeve up another couple inches, looped a tourniquet around Gunter’s arm, and hunted for a vein. “Okay,” she breathed. “Got one.” Tina threaded the needle home and loosed the tourniquet. “Hush,” she murmured. “Relax. It will be like going to sleep.”

Tears filled her eyes. She’d helped more than one terminally-ill patient cross the veil when their life became untenable. It was never easy. It felt too much like playing God. Between burns, exposure, and blood loss, Gunter would die, anyway. The least she could do was see he didn’t suffer more than he already had. He’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If Mururata hadn’t been lying in wait for her, Gunter would probably still be alive.

Tina rocked back on her heels. It was done. The young German’s body relaxed. He’d finally moved beyond pain. Not dead yet, but soon. She glanced over at the mountain gods. What would happen next?

“We conferred while you eased the human man to the place beyond,” Illampu said. “Since you did give our brother your word, we believe it binds you.”

“Ha!” Mururata moved closer. “Leave off your worthless ministrations. The man was as good as dead when I came across him. Prepare to leave. You are mine now.”

Tina’s stomach clenched. “Like hell I am,” she snarled. She pulled the syringe from Gunter’s arm and clutched it in a hand. “Just try to take me.” She withdrew more morphine from the vial in her pocket. “I’ll kill myself before I let that happen.”

Craig yanked the syringe from her and chucked it into the snow a few feet away. His green eyes blazed. “I will not let you throw your life away. You’re everything that’s strong and beautiful and good.” He sprang to his feet and faced the three gods. “I love this woman. She’s agreed to be my wife. Her bargain with Mururata must be severed.”

“You had no right,” Mururata screeched at Tina. “You promised yourself to me.”

“No.” Tina sat in the snow, holding Gunter’s hand, her fingers on his pulse. It was weaker now and slowing. “You forced my hand. You never asked if I was willing.”

“Why did you return to these mountains,” Illampu asked, “if not to join your life to my brother’s?”

“Because Mururata paid me a visit a month ago and damn near killed me. It was either wait in Colorado for him to return and finish the job or meet him here and fight for my freedom.”

“We have heard enough,” Illampu said. He floated to Mururata and wrapped long fingers around his arm. “We do not force humans to our will. They must agree because they want to, not because they fear for their lives. You told us she asked to become your queen after you rescued her.”

Tina snorted. “I did no such thing. He made it clear he’d leave me to rot and die in the crevasse if I didn’t agree to his terms.”

“It is past time for us to leave,” Illimani said. “We do not often involve ourselves in human affairs.”

“What about me?” Mururata pushed his shimmery form closer to the other two. Now Tina could see him more clearly, her eyes widened. He was headless, just like in the legend. No wonder his voice sounded so odd. “You were amenable to me taking a human wife so long as I added my blood to hers and made her one of us.”

“That was before we knew the truth of things.” Illampu spoke sternly.

“We never gave you permission to trap or force a human into accepting you,” Illimani added.

“Who would take me otherwise?” Mururata’s tone was bitter. “You beheaded me, turned me into an abomination.”

“You would question the will of our father and ruler, Vinococha?” Illimani’s voice was dangerously smooth.

“Yes, I would—”

“You will accompany us,” Illampu broke in. “Vinococha will be most interested in this latest development.”

“No!” Mururata edged away, but one of the others grabbed him before he got far. The glittering brightness dimmed.

“Wait.” Craig pushed to his feet. “What about the blood Mururata shared with Tina? What will it mean for her?”

The light brightened again. Illimani, blond hair floating around him, moved close to Tina. “Human woman.” She looked up. “I would have you stand.”

“This man is dying. If I leave his side, he will die alone.”

Craig took two long strides and hunkered next to her. “I’ll take over. Go on.”

Tina laid Gunter’s hands in Craig’s, tugged on her gloves, and got to her feet. She stood facing the god. A frisson of apprehension ran down her back. What did he want with her?

He raised an arm and drew it downward. A mild electric current traveled the length of her body. “Have you noticed anything different since my brother shared his blood with you?”

Tina tried to look away but couldn’t. The god held her in thrall. Fright sharpened her nerves to a fine edge. Her hands fisted at her sides. She tried to say
nothing
, but the word wouldn’t leave her mouth because it wasn’t true. She straightened her spine. “I know who will live and who will die. It’s been useful in my work.”

“You have the gift of prescience. You also have the gift of long life.”

“How long?”

Illimani shrugged. “Perhaps double a normal lifespan. Had you joined yourself to Mururata, you would have become immortal.”

Her mind raced. She did not want to live an extra eighty years if it meant being alone. “Can you do the same thing for Craig?”

Pealing bells sounded. It took her a moment to realize Illimani was laughing. “Presumptuous of you, human woman.”

“I love him. We lost a lot of time we could have been together because of my stubbornness.”

The god was silent so long, Tina was certain he’d refuse. After all, he didn’t owe them a thing. For all she knew, he’d smite her to a cinder for having the temerity to even ask.

Something in the whirling depths of his eyes shifted. “Climb to Pico Sur, highest of my five summits. I shall meet you there at dawn and marry you. Blessings from me shall yield your heart’s desire and wipe the slate clean of my brother’s misdeeds.”

Light flashed so bright, it left an afterimage behind her closed lids. When she opened them, the gods were gone. She blew out a shaky breath and hurried to where Craig sat in the snow. “Is he—?”

Craig nodded. “Yes. He stopped breathing when the gods left. Look.” He pointed. Gunter’s face was relaxed. A faint smile took the place of the rictus his mouth had been.

“Maybe they took his spirit with them.”

“Who knows?” Craig smiled at her. “Maybe they did.” He got to his feet. “Take a look at my jacket. How badly is the fabric burned?”

She walked behind him and shone the beam of her lamp on his back. “I think it will be okay. There’s a good sized hole with rents running out from it, but your pack will cover the damage.”

“Good enough. I’ll ditch it when we get back to La Paz. I have an extra outer shell in the things we left there. Lucky my gloves are still intact.”

“Gear be damned,” she snorted. “We’re lucky we’re
intact
.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” He shouldered his pack. “I want to pile rocks over Gunter, or commit his body to a crevasse, but we can do that on the way down. I heard your conversation. Sounds like we have a date on the mountaintop.”

She glanced at her watch and gathered her scattered things. It was two in the morning. They had about four hours until dawn. “Hope we make it in time. It’s still over three thousand feet.”